Transmission means for clothes washing machines



M. LOUTREL Dec. 20, 1960 TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

AGITATO/Q SHAFT TUB SUPPOR TING SHA T INVENTOR ATTORNEYS M. LOUTREL Dec. 20, 1960 TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

IIIIIIII IIIIIIIII,

TUB SUPPORTING- 5 H A FT ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 F TRANSMISSION MEANS FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES Maurice Loutrel, Paris, France, assignor to Cemam- Conord, Societe Anonyme, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filed Dec. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 782,504 Claims priority, application France Dec. 24, 1957 3 Claims. (Cl. 74-665) This invention relates generally to an improved transmission means for an automatic clothes washing and spinning machine, and more particularly to improved motor driven transmission means for imparting oscillatory movement to an agitator Within a stationary clothes drum during the washing operation for one direction of rotation of the motor, and rotary motion to the drum and agitator as a unit during the spinning operation upon reverse rotation of the motor.

The present application is a companion application to my prior US. patent application Serial Number 659,418, filed May 15, 1957, entitled Washing Machine Transmission.

In the prior application a machine for washing and spinning clothes was disclosed having a drum for receiving the clothes to be washed, an agitator in the drum for agitating the clothes, and motor transmission means for oscillating the agitator during washing and for rotating v obtained by means of self-tightening drum brake activated by a hydraulic piston system controlled by the oil pressure produced by a gear-type oil pump driven by a reversible electric motor. The arrangement is such that for rotation of the motor in one direction, oil pressure will cause activation of the piston system to achieve braking 'of the drum, while upon rotation of the motor in'the opposite direction, the negative oil pressure produced by the gear pump will cause release of the drum braking means.

In addition to being fully automatic this system has the advantage also of being controllable solely by the starting and direction of rotation of the electric motor, thereby avoiding the erroneous operation which often occurs with systems utilizing intermediate mechanical controls.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a transmission system for automatic washer and spinner machines having self-tightening drum braking means operable by a stop-finger piston actuated in ac cordance with the oil pressure of a motor-driven gear pump for brakinga drum-supporting shaft during the washing operation.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide hydraulically-controlled stop-finger plunger means for operating a transmission brakedrum, said finger being parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said brake drum so that the movement of said finger is controlled by a small amount of power and able to withstand substantial variations in pressure without affecting the action of the brake.

Another object of my invention is to provide a trans- 2,964,974 Patented Dec. 20, 1960 mission brake drum tightening means requiring low tolerances of manufacture compatible only with the precision of the gears of the mechanical pump.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparent from a study of the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the transmission mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detailed longitudinal sectional view of the gearing means taken along a plane normal to the sectional plane of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of the rack and pinion drive means of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. l, the motor mechanism unit 7 includes a reversible electric motor 31 which drives the transmission gearing through the connection of automatic centrifugal clutch 70. The clutch prevents connection of the motor shaft with the transmission gearing when the speed of rotation of the motor is less than a predetermined value. The clutch 70 includes a driving disk 71 connected to the motor shaft and a driven drum secured to gear shaft 76. Disk 71 has a stepped upper surface as shown in Fig. 1, upon which ride the lower extremities of the studs 73. Studs 73 are vertically movable in the radially-displaceable centrifugal masses 72 (see Fig. 4.) and are biased downwardly by springs 74; Whenthe speed of the motor shaft reaches a desired value, masses 72 move radially outwardly until the lower extremities of studs 73 ride upon the inclined surfaces 71 of disk 71. Members 72 are then urged upwardly into engagement with drum 75 by the springs 74 and direct drive between the motor shaft and gear shaft 76 will be achieved. Then the motor is stopped, the force of the springs on the studs and the weight of the masses 72 will cause the masses to slide downwardly and radially inwardly on the sloped surfaces 71 to their initial positions. During the clothes washing operation the vertical agi tator shaft is oscillated and me clothes drum supporting shaft concentrically mounted therein is maintained stationary in the following manner. 1 When the motor 31 is started in a given direction and the motor shaft achieves a predetermined rotational speed to cause connection of the motor shaft to the gear shaft 76, gear 76 secured to shaft 76 will drive gear 77. As shown in Fig. 2, gears 76 and 77 constitute a pressure oil pump the function of which will be described in greater detail below. Gear 77 has pinion 77' secured thereto (as shown in Fig. 5) which drives gear 78 to transmit rotary movement to gear 80. It is important to note that for this direction of rotation gear 78 is freely rotatable on the lower portion 79 of the agitator shaft. Gear 80 is rotatably mounted on shaft portion 82' of pinion 82 and is connected thereto upon rotation of pinion 82 in the given direction by means of the one-way connection provided by roller 81 mounted in a card slot in shaft portion 82'. Gear 82 rotatably drives gear rim 83which isprovided on its upper surface with an eccentric 84 for transmitting oscillatory movement to the agitator shaft by means of rack 85 and gear 86. Rack 85, actuated by eccentric 84 turning between slides 87 (see Figs. 1 and 6), is actuated in an alternating rectilinear motion between slides 88 secured to flange 89 of the drum supporting shaft. Gear 86 is, of course, rigidly secured to the agitator shaft.

presumes Rotation of flange 89 and the drum supporting shaft is prevented during the washing cycle by means of the self-tightening brake 91 of Fig. 3 which is concentrically mounted upontbrake=drurn 89 'securedto the drum-supporting :sha'ft 'fiange 89. sBrake 91 actuated by means of the piston stop-finger 90 which is "longitudinally .displaceable within its=cylindrical housing by the-oil which is fed underi-pressure by the gear-"type-oil :pump 576--.7.7. Orifice 92 in the wall of 'the piston cylinder permits entry of the pressure oil beneath theipiston .9010 urge'the isam'e upwardly to achieve tightening of the brake band 91. When flange 89 of the drum supporting :shaft is main-- tained stationary by thefriction of ibrake band 91 onithe drum 89', oscillatory motion is transmitted to the agitator shaft by the .rack :85 and pinion 86.

During the drying operation the agitator and the :drum are caused to rotate :at high speed as :a :unit as follows.

When the direction of rotation of electric motor.3-1 is reversed ina known manner (as by throwing a switch to reverse the polarity of the leads of the supply voltage for example), clutch 71 will transmit the :rotary motion of the motor shaft to the gearing shaft 76 when'the motor speed is sufficient to operate the centrifugal -clutch'71. Gear 76 drives gear '77 having integrally thereon "the pinion 77' which drives gear 78on the -agitator shaft'79.

Due to the one-way coupling between shaft 79 and gear .78 achieved forthis direction of rotation by the roller 93 cooperating with asuitable cam groove in gear 78, :shaft 79 will also be rotated by the pinion 77'. Pinion 78 Will also drive gear 80 which for this direction of "rotation merely rotates freely :on'shaft portion 82'inview of the one-way coupling achieved by the roller 81. Rotation of gear 78-and shaft 79 rigidly connected thereto causes gear 86 secured thereon to drive rack 85 to an e'ndposition of itslongitudinal re'ciprocatofy path of travel. The teeth of gear andrack 85 act as a key to p'ermitsimultaneous driving of flange 89"of the drumi'supporting shaft and gear rim 83 of the agitator shaft. Flhis :is achieved bymeans of the set ofslides .87 and 88; in ithis'way gear 82 multiplies its speed with no effect whatsoever .since'its s'haftportion 82 is freely rotatable .in gear 80 due to the disengagement of the one-way connecting eroller '81.

Rotation of drum supporting shaft 79-,is :permitted sincet-he brake 91 is released for this direction of rotation of motor-31 as follows. Due to the reversed (direc- .ti'on of .rotation of the *oiljpump gears 176, :77, the pump will operate as a vacuum pump and no oil pressure is applied 'beneathstop-finger piston 90.; consequently spring 94 "will urge the piston downwardly to :rele'ase brake band .91.

An obvious advantage of :the present invention is that the machine automatically compensates itself ifor faulty or undesirably-rapid operation. For :example, :should the motor be stopped during a drying operation, :the drum due to its own inertia, will continue to rotate for a certain period of time. Should the :motor 31 -be suddenly started in the opposite washing direction, pressure oil supplied by the gear pump'will operate .finger .90 to :cause activation of the self-tightening brake band 91.

Thus the braking drum 89' secured to agitator shaft flange 89 will be frictionally engaged by the brake band 91 and the drum supporting shaft will be slowed down and gradually braked with no harm .to the transmission gearing. It should be mentioned that the *couple of the drum during the spinning operatio'n'is .stronger rthan dnring :the washing operation ito'rperm'it this gradual braking effect.

.In order to provide Lfrictional engagement between rack 285 and flange 89,, a plurality pf :fingers .95are1dis- .posed in the upper surface o f rack and are biased upwardly into engagement with the lower surface of flange 89 by springs 96. Thus displacement of the rack is prevented after stoppage of the motor in the spinning direction in order to prevent any relative oscillatory movement of the agitator during continuous circular movement of the washing-drum.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have illustrated and described the best form and embodiment of my invention now known -to .me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other changes may be made in the apparatus described without deviating from my invention as set fOI't'h in the following claims.

1. In a clothes washing and spinning machine having a housing, an agitator shaft rotatably-mounted in said housing, a clothes drum supporting shaft concentrically mounted :on -:said agitator :shaft, a reversible motor mounted in :saidehousing and having a motorshaft, and transmission means operable by said motor shaft for oscillating .said agitator .shaft when said drum supporting shaft is :maintainedLs'tationary during the washing operation1upon rotation :of the motor shaft :in a first direction and :for rotating the drum supporting shaft and the agitator shaft -as a unit during the spinning operation upon rotation of the motor shaft in the opposite second direction; the improvement wherein said transmission means comprises sgear=typefoiljpumpmeans driven .by said motor shaft, said :pump means producing positive oil pressure when said motor is rotated in the first direction'and sues tion oil ipressureuponrotation of said motor in the-seconddirection, said drum su-pporting shaft having a fiange with a brake drum secured thereto within said housing, and :brake means operable :by positive pressure oil from said .pnmp uneans :for preventing rotation of said clothes drum'when said :motor rotates in said :first direction com prising aanormallydisenga'ged self-tightening brake band concentrically-mounted upon said brake drum, a st0pfinger :piston slidablyqnovable in a cylinder adjacentisaid brake :b'anfd, conduit means connecting said cylinder to said oil pump means, said piston being displaced in one direction in said cylinder by the pressure oil upo'n rotation of said motor in the first direction to actuate .said brake band means, and spring :means :normally biasing said stop-finger :piston in the opposite direction to cause disengagement of .said brake band.

2. Apparatus :as defined :in fclairn --1 and further wherein -'said-transmission:means includes meshing rack and:pinion means :driven by saidmotorsha'ft to oscillate said agitator shaft' when said motor-rotates in said first direction, said pinion being secured to said agitator .shaft .and said rack bein'g adjacent the flange-ofsaid clothes drumsupporting shaft and connected to said motor :shaft by gear ing and eccentric .means so that said rack will he .reciprocated as said motor shaft'is rotatedin said first direc tion,-saidrack having a plurality of spring-biased fingers in frictional engagement with the flange of said clothes drum supporting shaft to prevent oscillatory movement of said agitator shaft upon continuous rotational movement of said drum supporting shaft when said motor is operated in said second direction.

3. Apparatusas definedin claim l'wher'ein said piston is arrangedfor longitudinal movement in a direction .parallel to the axis vof said brake drum.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,406,226 Kimball Aug. 20, 1946 

